Glad to hear! Although I’m not to sure about the words on pictures part. Did you find the extra words distracted from the voiceover, or did it work well together?

Shadow The Rat No, the words were a great addition because they added more of an accurate explanation so there was no confusion

same here! I was so grossed out when I saw the bars leaving yellow stains on the paper towel, so I started cleaning them frequently and the smell got so much better. I just hope I can paint over the pee stain on the wall when I move out

Thank you :)

It can be, but not unless they ingest it - which, as long as you have normal rats (no pica) shouldn’t happen (the baking soda is encased in the litter itself, so unless your rats regularily eat their litter than it shouldn’t be a problem).

Good luck using fleece, I've never had much luck with it but I don't think I ever used it right.

I'm glad you enjoyed :)

That awesome! CongRATs on the soon to be new ratties :)

Sure! I like that idea quite a bit, after all i actually know some people who think rats don’t have bladders just because they scent mark :P

I don't personally use fleece as my main bedding as I've had terrible luck with it, however that being said I know many people use binder clips and that's what i use for the fleece on my wire shelves.

I find that rats smell much less than hamsters. My issue was that I went from gerbils (literally odorless) to rats (smell less than mice and hamsters but still have some smell). This wasn't a problem for me, but my family could tell the difference. Rat's can also be litter trained, and many people have litter trained rats housed on fleece with no smell issue at all (I've never had luck with fleece, but my Yesterday's News does an amazing job at keeping the cage odorless! And with four rats, I'm cleaning the cage every 1.5 to 2 weeks - not bad at all (I also do spot cleanings every few days, but its just wiping down the bars and removing soiled bedding)) But I have to mention, rats aren't cuddly pets. Sure, I've had some cuddly older girls - but its very much on their terms and it they never get cuddly until they get older (6 months is when rats are considered adults, but my girls don't usually start enjoying cuddling until 1 to 1.5 years old). And even then, not all rats get cuddly. Rats from an ethical breeder that knows their parents personality and health can help, but even that is no guarantee. That's not to say they aren't amazing and interactive pets, but interaction (especially with younger rats) is probably going to be more play, training, and other interaction based. (BTW, this might help with your tail fear: its actually not scaly at all, and is covered in very small furs. It feels soft to the touch, and is usually warm - I find it to be one of the cutest things about them (I have quite a few pictures with a rat sleeping with their tail covering their eyes! Its so cute!))

That’s pretty cool! I’ll admit, I’ve never really learned how to use fleece properly, and every time I try it stinks within hours. But I know others (like yourself) have used it with great success, so I tried to include the little I’ve learned about it from others in this video :)

what do you put under your fleece? my boys are kinda litter trained but they mark their territory alot so the fleece does end up smelling after a day or two. I still only wash it once a week since changing it too often makes the marking worse

I don't know to be honest. However, it smells strong enough that I don't feel comfortable using it without thoroughly airing out the area afterwards. I keep hearing good things about Apple Cider Vinegar, so might just have to try that one day! I was reading some rat breeder website that said they started giving it early on and saw an improvement in health? IDK if that's unjust correlation but in any case it seems to help in one way or another.

I did hear that Apple Cider Vinegar is healthy for humans to mix in their drinks so it might be the same for rats. Mine definitely prefer it to regular water :D As for the smell, it was a life saver, took a while to be noticable though, about two or three weeks

I would definitely only use it in an aired out area. With a vinegar solution it has to be white vinegar and water, not apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is a great additive to their diet however it does breakdown calcium so do use sparingly in elderly rats.

My rats absolutely loved the taste of ACV though. :)

The best thing to do would be to clean it again but keep a few handfuls of dirty bedding. After you clean everything put back in the dirty bedding and if possible some dirty nesting material. That should help them feel less freaked out by the new arrangement and lessen how much they scent mark everything. What are you using as bedding? And what do you feed them? I’ve found food and bedding were the biggest things when it comes to smell with my rats. I know that they smell best on their Oxbow adult especially when I make sure to limit the fresh/wet foods. And they also smellbest on something like Yesterday’s news which is meant to absorb and reduce odor and does a great jjob. If you’re using fleece though make sure to place an absorbent underpaid under the fleece as otherwise the pee will just pool under the bedding and stink like crazy!

Thank you! I'm using fleece, and because they're still babies I'm feeding them the Oxbow mouse and young rat food. I do stuff their houses with tissues though, so I could leave a few of those in the cage. Thanks again, Shadow! c:

You can, but newspaper is pretty poor at odor control so you’ll have to change it pretty often.

So what should I use instead?

Yes! It is grate for absorbance, just change it every 2 or 3 days.

No, oil defuses are not safe to have around rats. They are pretty strong respiratory irritants for them, and rats are already prone to so many respiratory problems that you don’t want to increase their risk. If smell is an issue I suggest you invest in a good air purifier as this will reduce the smell quite a bit. If the room the rats are in is moist it also helps to have a dehumidifier, and if they are in a small room adding ventilation via keeping open the windows and doors also helps. Finding a good bedding and food is also key, and you may have to experiment some before you find the best combo for yourself. As for items you can use around the rat cage you can use those baking soda packets for fridges (keep them out of reach of the rats of course). Overall you want to avoid anything too smelly near the rats, and you just want to try and protect their respiratory health as much as possible.

Shadow The Rat ok thank you good to know

Yup, diet makes such a difference! I've had the same thing happen to me, with new rats smelling much better after going onto a better diet and living on better bedding (and especially with my former feeder bin rats them going from an overcrowded, under-cleaned cage to a well ventilated and not overcrowded cage also helped a lot)

They can but I’d make sure to get the reusable washable ones as the throw away ones may contain toxic chemicals that could harm your rats if they chew or swallow it. Personally I’m not a big fan of cloth bedding but I know many people use puppy pads or fleece successfully

Shadow The Rat so what will you suggest and also I’m your biggest fan

It’s covered with fleece, so that won’t happen. Also, rats don’t eat fabric - they just chew it up and spit it out. So it’s perfectly safe if they chew a bit of usual (that’s actually why I didn’t recommend another common under pad (puppy pads) because these contain certain harmful chemicals that could kill your rat if they ingest them).

thanks :3 i wasn't quit sure what it was made of since once my rat did get into a puppy pad!(she was ok thankfully) and i wanted to be cautious!

that's smart :D thanks that's great idea!

I’m also doing the same I got my cage for my birthday and am getting two rats today!

Good to know! I’ve heard of using coconut oil and olive oil for hairless rats who have dry skin, so it’s nice to know it works well for buck grease.

@@ShadowTheRat My breeder gives me a kit for itchy rats. I had two 3.5 year old rats, and their skin just got quite sensitive. Thump, thump thump...itching ALL the time. Once a month I had to shampoo them with an anti itch pet shampoo partially dry them, and then slather them with virgin coconut oil. It would take about three days for their hair to fluff up again. But itch relief was instantaneous. This was also treatment for mites in healthy rats. All of the above plus one drop (on their neck)of REVOLUTION for dogs diluted to her specifications. Their fur would gleam! Their TAILS would get like silk. Weekly applications of the oil to just their tails would eliminate and prevent those little black head pimples.

Lol it kinda does - acronyms are weird :P

@@ShadowTheRat Your videos are so good, I re watch the old ones. I missed the herpes thing the first time. LOL

Its possible they peed on each other, I have a girl who sometimes pees on her cagemates and it can make them smell lol. Luckily she tends to groom it off pretty quickly but if not sometimes I'll wipe them down with a warm washcloth (rarely though as Espresso hasn't peed on them as of late)

@@ShadowTheRat oh okay! Thanks so much

It can be, but not unless they ingest it - which, as long as you have normal rats (no pica) shouldn’t happen (the baking soda is encased in the litter itself, so unless your rats regularily eat their litter than it shouldn’t be a problem).